May 2008-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich announced the lowest conviction rate among parolees in state history and a 23 percent reduction in arrests among the general parolee population. The drop in recidivism has saved the state an estimated $64 million in incarceration costs since 2004. In his announcement, the Governor supported community-based treatment and social service efforts and cited Safer Return, a MacArthur-supported demonstration project that seeks to help prisoners returning to Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. The $6.5 million project, which includes the SAFER Foundation and the Urban Institute, uses community-based resources to help reintegrate returning prisoners and lower recidivism. East Garfield Park has one of the highest numbers of returning prisoners in Chicago. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation website.
